2021 年 5 个最奇怪、最精彩、改变生活的互联网故事

本周，我们要做一些不同的事情。我正在收集过去一年中互联网和科技界最重大的故事：奇怪的、精彩的和改变生活的故事。然后，最近将放假几周。 1 月 10 日再见！

This year saw several stories dominate the internet and tech landscape, leaving an indelible mark on our collective consciousness. From the relentless hype surrounding AI to the surprising return of bitcoin and the viral catchphrases that launched careers, here are five stories that captivated us in 2022.

今年，一些故事主导了互联网和科技领域，在我们的集体意识中留下了不可磨灭的印记。从围绕人工智能的无情炒作，到比特币的惊人回归，再到开启职业生涯的病毒流行语，以下是 2022 年让我们着迷的五个故事。

1. AI’s Hype Era Continues

1.人工智能的炒作时代仍在继续

AI voice assistants became eerily human-like, while AI slop (low-quality AI-generated images) flooded social media feeds. Companion chatbots like Replika also gained popularity, sparking concerns about potential harm to children.

人工智能语音助手变得异常像人类，而人工智能图像（人工智能生成的低质量图像）则充斥着社交媒体。像 Replika 这样的伴侣聊天机器人也很受欢迎，引发了人们对儿童潜在伤害的担忧。

However, AI acolytes were most excited about AI agents, which can go beyond instructions and actually perform tasks like online shopping or analyzing spreadsheets. OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic all launched or announced their own generative AI agents.

然而，人工智能追随者对人工智能代理最感兴趣，它可以超越指令，实际执行在线购物或分析电子表格等任务。 OpenAI、Google 和 Anthropic 都推出或宣布了自己的生成式 AI 代理。

This hype led to massive gains for industry companies. Nvidia, which makes the chips powering generative AI, surpassed a $3-trillion valuation and even briefly overtook Apple and Microsoft in market value. But the hype also clashed with the creative industries, as musicians, publishers, actors, and artists filed lawsuits against AI companies over copyright infringement.

这种炒作为行业公司带来了巨大收益。生产驱动生成式人工智能芯片的英伟达（Nvidia）估值超过了 3 万亿美元，甚至在市值上一度超过了苹果和微软。但这种炒作也与创意产业发生了冲突，音乐家、出版商、演员和艺术家因侵犯版权而对人工智能公司提起诉讼。

2. Bitcoin Is Back (Again)

2. 比特币再次回归

Once dismissed as a fad or Reddit obsession, bitcoin proved to be a lucrative financial asset embraced by Wall Street and even the U.S. president-elect.

比特币一度被视为一种时尚或 Reddit 痴迷而被忽视，但事实证明，它是一种利润丰厚的金融资产，受到华尔街甚至美国当选总统的青睐。

Donald Trump’s victory, with his campaign promise to create a U.S. bitcoin reserve and even launching his own coin, drove up bitcoin prices as investors bet on a friendlier regulatory environment. This month, bitcoin hit a landmark $100,000, with all coins in circulation valued at an estimated $2-trillion.

唐纳德·特朗普的胜利，以及他在竞选中承诺建立美国比特币储备，甚至推出自己的比特币，推高了比特币价格，因为投资者押注于更友好的监管环境。本月，比特币价格达到了里程碑式的 10 万美元，所有流通中的比特币价值估计为 2 万亿美元。

3. Viral Catchphrases Launch Careers

3.病毒流行语开启职业生涯

Some 15 years ago, when Twitter was still relevant and the epicenter of online culture, viral tweets could lead to book deals or TV shows. (See: prolific tweeter Kelly Oxford and her memoir Everything Is Perfect When You’re a Liar, or the TV show $#*! My Dad Says, inspired by the Twitter account of the same name.)

大约 15 年前，当 Twitter 仍然具有影响力并且是网络文化的中心时，病毒式推文可能会带来图书交易或电视节目。 （参见：多产的推特用户凯莉·牛津（Kelly Oxford）和她的回忆录《当你是个骗子时一切都是完美的》，或者电视节目《$#*！我爸爸说》，灵感来自同名 Twitter 帐户。）

These days, it only takes one viral TikTok to reap major benefits, and this year, we saw several catchphrases launch careers.

如今，只需一个病毒式传播的 TikTok 就能获得重大收益，今年，我们看到了几个流行语开启了职业生涯。

Megan Boni made a TikTok claiming she’d written the song of the summer, listing the traits of an ideal partner - "I'm looking for a man in finance, trust fund, 6-5, blue eyes" - which landed her a recording deal and multiple club remixes actually played in IRL clubs.

梅根·博尼 (Megan Boni) 制作了一条 TikTok，声称她写了夏天的歌曲，列出了理想伴侣的特征——“我正在寻找一个从事金融、信托基金、6-5、蓝眼睛的男人”——这让她获得了唱片合约和多个俱乐部混音实际上在 IRL 俱乐部中播放。

There was the onomatopoeic Hawk Tuah Girl, aka Haliey Welch, who became famous for a street interview in which she does an impression of what she considers the best sex trick. Welch now has a podcast, sold thousands of dollars in merchandise and even launched a meme coin, the latter spurring legal action from investors who say the coin was a scam.

还有拟声词霍克·图阿女孩，又名哈利·韦尔奇，她因一次街头采访而出名，在采访中她展示了她认为最好的性爱技巧。韦尔奇现在拥有一个播客，出售了数千美元的商品，甚至还推出了一款模因币，后者引发了投资者的法律诉讼，他们称该币是一个骗局。

But perhaps the biggest phrase of the year was "very demure, very mindful," popularized by TikTok creator Jools Lebron, a way to describe everything from work-appropriate makeup to reading the new Sally Rooney on the subway. It felt like every brand on social media was jumping on the "demure" trend, but Lebron was able to monetize the trend too. From her TikToks, Lebron said she's earned enough money to pay for the rest of her transition and move into a swanky new apartment.

但今年最流行的短语也许是“非常端庄、非常用心”，这句话由 TikTok 创始人朱尔斯·勒布朗 (Jools Lebron) 推广，用来形容从适合工作的妆容到在地铁上阅读新莎莉·鲁尼 (Sally Rooney) 的各种内容。感觉社交媒体上的每个品牌都在追随“端庄”趋势，但勒布朗也能够利用这一趋势获利。勒布朗说，她通过 TikTok 赚到了足够的钱来支付余下的过渡费用，并搬进一套时髦的新公寓。

4. The Memes, the Podcasters and the U.S. Election

4. 模因、播客和美国大选

During the presidential election, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris turned to podcasters, YouTubers, streamers and social-media stars as gateways to very specific segments of potential voters they are unlikely to reach through cable news or rallies.

在总统选举期间，唐纳德·特朗普和卡玛拉·哈里斯求助于播客、YouTuber、流媒体和社交媒体明星，作为接触他们不太可能通过有线电视新闻或集会接触到的特定潜在选民群体的门户。

For Trump, that was tapping into "the manosphere," a collection of online spaces led by prophets such as Joe Rogan and Theo Von, with devoted followings of young men. Harris's team leaned hard into brat memes - a nod to Charli XCX's album of the summer - and other TikTok trends.

对于特朗普来说，这是利用“马诺圈”，这是由乔·罗根和西奥·冯等先知领导的在线空间的集合，拥有一群忠实的年轻人追随者。哈里斯的团队大力研究“brat meme”（向 Charli XCX 夏季专辑致敬）和其他 TikTok 趋势。

And both campaigns directly engaged with influencers, whether by collaborating on content or inviting them to their respective conventions, indicating the relationship between creators and politicians could grow even closer in the future.

这两项活动都直接与有影响力的人接触，无论是通过内容合作还是邀请他们参加各自的大会，这表明创作者和政治家之间的关系未来可能会变得更加密切。

5. Chaos on Social Media Platforms

5. 社交媒体平台上的混乱

Social media is an industry always rife with uncertainty, but this year everything felt even more chaotic.

社交媒体是一个总是充满不确定性的行业，但今年一切都感觉更加混乱。

Hordes of users are leaving Elon Musk's X, which has become a bot-filled, MAGA-loving mess. Bluesky is trying to be the "new Twitter," but it's yet to be seen if it can take the throne - or if people even care about short text-based platforms any more. Truth Social is the place to be if you want to get the breaking news from the incoming Trump administration, such as his views on tariffs.

大批用户正在离开埃隆·马斯克的 X，它已经变成了一个充满机器人、热爱 MAGA 的烂摊子。 Bluesky 正试图成为“新 Twitter”，但它是否能登上王位，或者人们是否还关心基于短文本的平台，还有待观察。如果您想了解即将上任的特朗普政府的突发新闻，例如他对关税的看法，Truth Social 就是您的最佳选择。

And is TikTok actually going to get banned in the United States? The U.S. Supreme Court said this week it's going

TikTok真的会在美国被禁止吗？美国最高法院本周表示将